A visit to the Soul Society
by byakuyasbastardson
Summary: Several months after Ichigo defeats the Quincy invasion, Karin Kurosaki and her family get the chance to visit him in the Soul Society. Once there Karin must face her feelings towards Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya. However during an outing with him an incident occurs that could very well change Karin's life and feelings forever
1. Chapter 1

"Karin!" "Karin!"

"Ehh what time is it? 5:30 huh, I just want to sleep. I was up most of the night studying. Why is Yuzu being so loud?" was all Karin Kurosaki could think of as she was awoken by her sisters' voice.

"Karin!"

'What Yuzu!? What do you want this early in the morning?' demanded Karin in an annoyed tone.

Yuzu took a step back, looked down at the grounf thinking her words over carefully so not to further annoy her twin sister. Finally she said; "Karin! Get up. Today's the day we get to visit Ichi-nii."

"What? It's today. Oh shit it is. Ok hold on Yuzu let me get dressed." Karin replied now no longer annoyed. She got out of bed and went to her closet. She oured over her clothes thinking; "Ok let's see, should I wear something nice…no Ichigo would not want that. He would want us to be comfortable. But this IS the Soul Society. We'll be visiting it for the first time. Hmm, well this is comfortable and nice. Plus I haven't worn it in a while. With the skirt though, no, ew, these pants will work fine, but I have to admit this blouse is cute. I think Ichigo will like it. I should probably take a shower though." With that Karin laid her picked out clothes on her bed and headed for the bathroom. As she entered she turned on the water to let it warm up. "There the water feels perfect." Karin pulled her hand out form the water and proceeded to strip out of her bed clothes. She tossed them into the corner and climbed into the tub and sat down. "Ah man this feels great, especially since of all that studying. I can just lean back and relax."

"I wonder if Toshiro will be free so I can see him too. It's been too long, I miss him. He might sometimes be a douche, but it's just an act. Why am I feeling this way? Just thinking of him makes me blush, it's not like we are dating or anything. But why do I feel this warmth inside myself. Am I? I am. Just thinking of him excites me. I've never done it, I guess I could. I read that it feels good. But how would I, do I just slip my fingers inside and move them, do I go around the edges. What about that bulb I've heard about. Mmm this does feel a little good. But no, I shouldn't, at least not yet. I don't know what I'm feeling so this would only confuse me more." Karin withdrew her fingers from between her legs and shook her head. She never really understood the feeling of liking or even loving someone. It was something that she always read and heard about, what she felt must be true for her brother and Rukia but she never understood it. Karin sat there with the water running over her and she placed her hands over her eyes. "Why do I feel this way?" was all she could think of. She had only really had known him for a few days, when he would occasionally come to her world. When he did they would go together to his grandma and they would laugh and talk but that had not happened in a long time. He had not even shown up when she was able to get a message to him telling him of his grandma's passing. Then there was this whole recent thing with the Quincy attacking. All of this was going through her mind, when she realized that she had been in the shower for much too long already. She got up, soaped up and rinsed herself off. She climbed out of the shower and dried herself off.

Just then from outside the door she heard the last thing she wanted to hear at this time in the morning…her dad. "Karin! My lovely princess, do you want daddy to come and help you do your hair or something?"

"Ugh God dammit, this again. Fuck off goat-chin, I don't need you"; yelled Karin. She turned to the mirror and looked at her hair thinking; "He's so annoying, does he know that what he does is basically pedophilia and to his own children. Just let me have one morning where I don't need this. At least no spirits followed me in here like last time. Now that's annoying."

From the other side of the door her father replied; "Ow Karin, you shouldn't talk to daddy like that. I should come in there and give you a good spanking."

"I SAID FUCK OFF DAD!" Karin turned just in time to see her father opening the door. She quickly wound back her arm and laid a punch right to the side of his head.

"Ow! Karin, you don't need to punch so hard. Yuzu! Get some ice ready for daddy's head. Oh, by the way, Karin, you forgot to wrap yourself in a towel first." Was what her father said from the ground where he was sprawled on his back.

"What? Dad, why did you…ugh…never mind." Karin grabbed the handle and slammed the door shut. She sank against the wall feeling her face burn in embarrassment. "Oh my God! I did. I can't believe that even though I punched him and sent him flying into the wall, I did it naked so he saw everything. He's my dad and knows it all from when were babies, but I can't believe I just did this. I should just lock myself in my room for the rest of the day. This is embarrassing." Karin then stood up took a few deep breaths and reexamined her hair. "Should I make my hair nice; no I'll just do my normal straight down. It's easier." She then just brushed it out, wrapped herself in a towel, picked up her bed clothes and left the bathroom quickly hurrying towards her own room. Once inside she placed her clothes on pillow and went to her dress. "Right. Underwear, nothing flashy I'm not letting anyone in my pants so just plain but which one. Not the red, though I love it, it doesn't go with the blouse. It does not really matter, but if there is one thing I picked up from Yuzu it was this. The blue ones go well. Ok I'll wear that." Once she made up her mind Karin walked out of her room shouting down the hall saying; "Oi, Yuzu I'm dressed. Is breakfast ready?"

"Yes Karin hurry before it goes cold. I forgot to go to the store so all I could manage was steamed rice with an egg." Came her sister's voice from down the hall.

"Hmm, not my favorite, what are we on a farm? Oh well, its food and with a little soy sauce it should be fine", responded Karin. She entered the kitchen where her bowl was already set. Her father was at the end holding the morning newspaper and drinking from a cup of coffee. His bowl sat empty in front of him. She lloked towards the stove and say her sister standing there in her apron and fixing herself a bowl. Karin then sat down in her chair, grabbed the soy sauce and poured a little over her rice. She started eating and had to admit her sister made it taste way better then what she was used to. After a few bits she looked over at her dad and said; "Hey! Goat-beard, we're going through Mr. Kisuke's shop right?"

Without even looking past his paper her father replied; "Yea, that's right. Uruhara has the gate. Now remember even though we have the tickets, we'll have to hurry through the precipice world. Or the cleaner might get us."

"Oh yea, Dad's a soul reaper too. Man that's weird. But at least he is normal when he is in that form", was all Karin could think of while she continued her breakfast. He had told her and Yuzu everything after Ichigo had to go away. How he saved mom and how some guy named Aizen had planned it all. How he gave up is powers to keep mom alive. "I wonder if Mom is over there in the Soul Society and if so if Ichigo has found her? I wonder if Toshiro knew dad? They both have the same insignia of 10 on their white coat. That must mean dad was a captain too. Were they of the same squad? I wonder if Toshiro was under him? I could ask Dad, but he would just blow it out of proportion of something." These were all questions Karin had thought about when she learned the truth and they were running through her mind right now. She supposed she would ask Toshiro once they got over there and she was able to see him.

Karin's father flipped her paper over and set it down on the table. He downed the last of his coffee and stood up. "Alright you two, finish up and let's be off. It will be a long day ahead of us." He placed his dishes in the sink and left to finish getting ready himself.

"Yes dad." Karin finished the last of her rice and walked over to the sink placing her dishes beside the ones already in there. Karin turned to her sister and asked; "Hey Yuzu do you need help with the dishes?"

"What? Oh no Karin, I'm fine. Thanks though. Go on and finish getting ready" responded Yuzu who was herself finishing up eating.

"Right, ok thanks Yuzu." Karin left the room and headed for the bathroom so she could brush her teeth.

Five minutes later her father's voice came ringing up from the front door; "Ok girls come on. It's time we set off."


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh hello, hello, hello! Welcome to my shop! How can I be of service? I must say you have come at a very early time; we aren't even open yet actually. But…."

"You know why we are here Kisuke. Let's go", said Isshin as he and his daughters stepped into the little sweet shop.

Kisuke lifted his hat just enough to show his eyes and smiled. "Ah, yes the gate", he replied.

Karin leaned against the nearest wall watching the scene unfold before her. As she watched them she said to herself; "Jeez, what's with these two oldies? He knew we were coming, it was his idea for us to use his gate. But, why did Dad have to agree? I'm here as it is enough when too many spirits pop up and I have to deal with them. I hated when Ichigo lost his powers. But we decided that he should have the chance to live a normal life. But you could see he wasn't happy about it. And though I did my best I still didn't like coming here. He was kind of a rip off, plus he's weird, and then there where those kids. Jinto and the quiet girl, where are they? Oh well I don't really care. Jinto was annoying as hell." While her thoughts wondered Kisuke pulled back the rung unveiling a trap door that he subsequently opened reavealing a stair case that went down into the ground. "Oh we're starting to descend down the steps" said Karin. "How far deep does this go? How did he get around the pipes? Whoa holy shit…"

In front spanned Kisuke's training ground. Karin and Yuzu gawked at the expanse. It was huge, bigger than anything they had seen in the city. The ceiling was painted like the sky outside. It was very well lit. Karin could only think where the light came from. There were no lights as far as they could see. And then there was all the earth. It spanned out making hills and small mountains. There were the remains of trees planted or probably buried a long time ago. "Isn't it a sight?" Kisuke asked.

Karin at first speechless was able to find her voice; "Yea, yea it is. How long did it take you to create this?"

"Oh many many years but it's worth it. This was wear your brother found his own powers and where he left from when he went on his missions", was all Kisuke said as he continued down the steps.

"Really? That's cool, so where is the gate?" piped up Yuzu, who was just in awe as Karin.

Kisuke replied as they reached the bottom of the stairs; "Oh that, it's over there, it will take some time to power up, maybe an hour or two, until then you can rest and use the facilities."

As they waled towards the gate, Karin had a realization; "Wait! What about our bodies? Will we have to become like dad and leave our bodies behind?"

Kisuke laughed at his own forgetfulness and stopped; "Oh no. I almost forgot, oh clumsy me. Hahaha Here, take these. Once you swallow it, your body will be safe from the change. You will be in your physical body, but remember, this is your physical body so if you get injured it will show."

"Uh, yea got it. Don't get hurt"

"Oh don't worry Karin, Daddy won't let you get hurt!" exclaimed Isshin as he wrapped Karin in a great bear hug.

"Get off me you idiot!" yelled Karin as she struggled to free herself. AS she was doing this she thought to herself; "Man this again? Can't he go more than an hour? Jeez, I should punch him again." Once free from her father she turned away and started walking; "Hey, I'm going back to sleep. Yuzu wake me up when it's time, AND don't let him near me."

"Got it Karin. I think I'm going to make sure I have everything ready. I thought I'd bring Ichi-nii some stuff."-replied Yuzu as she set down her backpack and started to rummage through it.

"Ooo Karin why do you hate daddy so much? Misaki see what's happened to your daughter, she is rebellious and refuses my love" cried Isshin pulling out a wallet sized photograph of his wife.

By now Karin was getting fed up with her dad's horsing around and at such an early time she turned around and exclaimed; "It's not that I refuse it. Man you're stupid, and quit talking like that to mom. She'd probably hit you too. Now be quiet so I can sleep."

After a few minutes, Karin was able to fall asleep. It seemed like she had just closed her eyes when she found herself standing in a hallway. Through her confusion she said to herself "Huh? Where am I? This isn't Urahara's shop. I'm in… well I don't know. I wonder if anyone is here." She called out; "Hello! Is anyone out there?" With no reply she thought; "I guess I better start walking. I don't see any way out. Wait there is a window that's closed. I'll take a look out. Hey that's a soccer field down there. There are people on it, man I wish I could play down there"

"Karin! Pass the ball! Come one I'm open!" called her friend who was running down the pitch.

"Wait…what?" Karin found herself running, she looked down and she was kicking a soccer ball. She stopped and looked around. "How did I, I was up in that…the window is gone, How did I get down here? And in these clothes, when I was up there I was in a dress. But I'm in my old soccer uniform now. And these are my friends. I don't understand."

"Karin! Pass the ball!"

"What? Oh right we're in the middle of a game. Right. Here!" Karin passed the ball to her teammate and as he ran down the field she cheered him on; "Go! Go! You can score!"

"YES! We did it you guys! We won! Nice pass Karin." Said her friend as he and the rest came running over to her. "Karin?"

Karin had been staring off the field for she thought she had seen something. With her name being called a second time she came back to those around her. "Huh? Oh yea, good game guys." She stared off to where she had been looking and could not help but to think; "Was that? Could it of been." She took off running yelling behind her to her friends; "Hey guys I'll meet up with you later." She then turned back forward and yelled to the person walking down the other side of the hill. "Hey you! On the hill, wait up!" When she got to the top she looked around and said to herself; "Man where did he go. He couldn't have gone far. Must be around this corner or something, oh he just rounded the bend." "Hey wait up!" called Karin. She ran after the man, while saying to herself; "Man why won't he stop. Oh he did." She ran up next to him and while catching her breath managed to say; "Hey….why…why didn't you stop when I called. Why Toshiro?"

Toshiro looked at her and placed his hand under her chin. He tilted her head up just a little and then caressed her cheek. "Karin. I've missed you. Since the last time we've met I can't get you out of my head. Oh sweet Karin…. Karin…. Karin."

"Psst, Karin. Karin come on it's time to go. Mr. Kisuke has the portal ready. Karin wake up!"

"Huh? Wha..?" Karin opened her eyes and felt Yuzu stop shaking her. "You say it's time to go? Oh ok Yuzu." Karin sat up, stretched and let out a long deep sigh. "It was only a dream. I should have known by how weird it was", she said to herself. She then continued in her heard; "Why did I have this dream though? I've never had one like it. Furthermore, why is my heart pounding and why do I feel a slight heat? Did this sort dream really do that to me? Wow… what's up with me?"

"Karin are you alright? You were rolling around and muttering", asked Yuzu

"Yea I am Yuzu, thanks for asking." Answered Karin as she got up and dusted herself off. "I can't tell her about my dream, she'd insist that I'm in love and that's just silly. Or she'd let father know and then he'd make a huge deal about it and get even more annoying", Karin thought to herself.

The gate was open and her father was standing in front looking at them waiting for them to come over so they could go. Karin and Yuzu hurried over and there father asked if they were ready. She both nodded. He had transformed into his spirit body. He took turned to face the gate. Placed his hands on their back and said "Ok. Let's go"

As they ran through the precipice world Karin couldn't help but look around at the walls. They looked like a bunch of slim running down. It was constantly flowing and kind of gross. Isshin told them that they needed to be careful because if they got stuck in it they would be stuck forever and eventually die. But that could take minutes or centuries, because time flows different in this world. As they were running Yuzu tripped and fell to the ground. "Yuzu!" yelled Karin, "Are you alright? Come one we got to keep moving."

"Hm yea. Sorry Karin" She said. "Hey dad, what's the rumbling sound?"

Their dad responded; "The what? Oh SHIT! You two hurry up and RUN. It's the Cleaner. Run Yuzu and Karin!"

They both responded with "ok", and then Yuzu asked what the cleaner was. Isshin responded telling her that it was a mass of condensed spiritual pressure that runs through the precipice world and as it name entails it 'cleans' this world off all foreign objects. So Karin startedto run her ass off in attempt to get away from it. It wasn't long before they saw the light indicating that their exit was just ahead. Only thing was the cleaner was catching up. Karin and Yuzu couldn't out run it by themselves so their dad picked both of up and threw them into the light. The next thing Karin knew she were laying on the ground in a big open space. Isshin soon appeared panting and swearing under his breath. To Karin It sounded like he said something along the lines of; "Dammit Uruhara, I thought the cleaner was destroyed. You should have told us."

"Isshin Shiba….it's nice to see you." Came a voice still hidden by the sudden light that Karin had not yet adjusted too.


	3. Chapter 3

Karin looked up from the ground and as her eyes adjusted to the light she saw a tall white haired man standing in front of them. By his robes he appeared to be a captain. That's when she realized that we were surrounded by a bunch of soul reapers. All standing in a circle or in two lines forming a path to walk between as they left the Senkaimon. This man wasn't the only one captain standing there. There was another who had on a hat and pink kimono draped over his shoulders. Karin remembered him, he was the one that came and told her and Yuzu that Ichigo would not be able to return to the living world if he survived the last battle. Captain Kyoraku was his name if she remembered rightly. She however did not know who the other one was though. Isshin straightened up and smiled. "Heh. It's been a long time Ukitake and you Shunsui. Head Captain now, not a surprise."

They looked at each other and then started laughing. Captain Kyoraku then insisted that they join him for a few drinks later, and then the other who must have been Ukitake told them that Ichigo was not in the Seireitei at the moment. He and Rukia were on a mission and would not be back till later. He then suggested that Isshin visit his niece and nephew. Which came at a surprise to Karin. She asked him if it was true and he lowered his eyes and said it was. When he left to protect their mother he had left behind is two nephews and niece. His desertion had brought shame on the Shiba clan which he headed and thus they fell from grace. That's why he took on Kurosaki as his last name…and to mask where he was. He told her that the oldest had died defending his wife's honor. His name was Kian and Ichigo was a spitting image of him. The two surviving members were named Ganju and Kukaku. With that he turned to Ukitake and asked; "Hey, Ukitake, where are they living? I think I should go see them."

Ukitake responded that they were in the west Rukon district in area 74. Isshin smiled and turned to Karina and Yuzu and asked if we wanted to go. Yuzu did but Karin piped up and asked where Toshiro was. Ukitake gave her a look and asked if she knew him. Karin said that they had met a few times in the living world and had not seen each other in a while. He smiled and then told one of his subordinates to escort her there. It wasn't long before Karin found herself standing before a huge building with the symbol of the squad on the front face. A sign read "Squad 10 Barracks." She was a little hesitant and had butterflies starting to form in her stomach. The escort had other duties to attend to so she left Karin alone standing in front deciding whether to go in or not. Right when as she was about to make up her mind she felt something soft but big hit the back of her head, causing her to fall down. Karin looked up and standing in front of her was a tall woman with big boobs. The woman looked down at her and said "Heh? Who is this?" She picked Karin up and studied her face then broke into a smile. "Oh you must be Karin." She said laughing. "Are you here to see the captain?"

"Y-yes." Karin said. The woman then laughed aloud and told her that he would be so happy to see her. She put Karin down and then grabbed her arm and dragged her inside. She told Karin that she was Toshiro's lieutenant and her name was Rangiku. As she dragged Karin along she kept saying all sorts of things about how he would mumble in his sleep and she heard him say Karin's name, or that he would get distracted and start playing with a ball kicking it up in the air. "When I asked him why" She said; "He claimed that the living world had a sport called soccer and it was fun. That a girl had gotten him into it."

Karin listened and could not help but blush at what Rangiku said, and she ended up lost in her mind thinking; "Could I have really made an impact like that on him? In the fact that he would dream about me, this…this I don't know what to think. I don't know what to feel. I did come here after all to see him so I guess I know my feelings towards him."

It was not long before they came to a stop and were standing before a door that had the squad insignia on it and a sign above it saying "Captain Hitsuguya". Rangiku knocked and said "Captain I'm here. Captain you in?" From the other side of the door Karin heard a muffle reply. It was him; his voice had changed a little. It had gotten deeper but he bid Rangiku to enter. She did and gave Karin a wink. Rangiku had only took a couple steps in before he started yelling at her about the paper work she had failed to finish.

Her reply was; "But Captain, it was so late and I was so tired. It's not good to keep a woman up doing homework. She needs her sleep."

They started going back and forth with him saying that if he can do it than so can she and how she drinks all time or sneaks off to sleep. A few bouts later Rangiku started to laugh and grabbed him and smothered him in her bossism. He pushed away yelling that this was insubordination but she continued to laugh and said how cute he was. Then she stopped and let him go. Toshiro turned around and started walking back to his desk. She then said "Oh, by the way captain you have a guest." That made him stop.

"I'm busy tell them to come back later." He said. Karin found herself hurt a little, but Rangiku was quick to action.

"I think you will want to see this one, Sir. After all, your visitor is Karin Kurosaki."

"Wha-what did you say?" Toshiro spun around and his eyes got big. "K-Karin! What are you doing here?"

Karin smiled since he was blushing. She entered the room and told him that she and her family had come to see Ichigo but he was not here so she thought she should stop in. While telling Toshiro this, Karin ended up stammering because she got a bunch of butterflies in her stomach at the sight of him. She also felt a little hot, she really have no idea what was coming over her. Toshiro turned to Rangiku and told her that she was in charge for the day and that there was a lot of paper work to be done. Karin half expected her to complain but she only smiled and said "Yes Sir!"

"Come on," Toshiro said to Karin. "Let's go out for a walk." Karin couldn't help but blush but agreed to go along. As they walked out he started asking her how she was and how the world of the living was. Karin told him there were some instances with hollows every now and again. But nothing that the assigned soul reaper could not handle. Those made him give a slight smile. "Good" He said. "I'm glad to hear it."

It was not long before they were walking out in what Toshiro explained was the Rukongai. The place where souls live when they come to the spirit world, they were walking through one of the nicer districts. He kept walking and he seemed to almost be walking closer to Karin. She felt his hand touch hers and she pulled it back. "What the hell are you doing!?" She asked.

"What do you mean, what am I doing? That was you!" he shot back.

"God you're such an idiot Toshiro, why are you afraid to speak your mind."

"I'm not afraid, what are you talking about!" he retorted.

That got Karin mad. "If you like me so much why don't you tell me? Maybe I just might like you back!"

"Why would I like a hot headed girl like you!" he shot back at. He crossed his arms and looked away.

Karin couldn't help what she did next. She kicked him in the leg and then ran off. She was not actually mad at him. She just did not know what came over her. She didn't mean to yell at him or anything. She liked his touch but at the same time she didn't know. Her mind was a mess at the moment.

"You're too slow!" came his voice.

She turned around mid-run and saw him right behind her. By her slowing down it caused him to run into her and they flew into the neighboring field. He landed on top of her but she didn't care. It didn't hurt and… she liked it. Karin started feeling hot again. Toshiro pushed himself up a little so he could look her in the eyes. She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck and stared into his stunningly blue eyes. He started to blush as he realized what was going on. Karin took a deep breath and said the words she had been wanting so badly to say but also wasn't sure if she meant them. "Hey Toshiro" she said as she relaxed her hold a bit. Karin took a deep breath and then said; "I really like you."

His face became bright red and then he closed his eyes and smiled. "You are an idiot aren't you Karin." He placed his thumb under my chin then moved it so the back of his finger caressed her chin. "I really like you too." With that he leaned in and kissed Karin's lips. It was a soft kiss and his lips were warm and moist. She accepted it and matched his with my own. She tightened her grip around him as their lips stayed pressed together. He then broke away and smile. She saw the intensity in his eyes and felt the butterflies in my stomach. She was looking at him the same way and felt a soft wetness on herself.

"One more" Karin quietly breathed out.

He smiled and chuckled. "Ok, one more." He leaned down again and their lips touched for a second time.


	4. Chapter 4

Toshiro opened his eyes. His head was throbbing and when he raised his hand to where it hurt he felt a bandage wrapped around his head. He then realized he was lying on a stretcher and a member of fourth squad was fettering over him checking his vitals. He looked around at his surroundings and saw that he was in a different place form when he last remembered. There were what he perceived as soul reapers all around him but he was not completely sure. His vision was blurred and he say darkness slowly taking over his sight. His vision went black and he lost consciousness.

Again Toshiro opened his eyes and this time his vision was clear. The majority of the soul reapers had left but there were still a few hanging around. His head had lessened in his pain and he noticed that he had been moved to under a tree. The same member of squad four was next to him but this time filling out a report. To his other side sat Rangiku. She had a worried look on her face and when she noticed he was awake she gave a sigh of relief.

"Captain, do you know where you are?" she asked.

Toshiro attempted to sit up but found that when he did his head felt like it was being split open and his vision started to fade. He laid back down and closed his eyes trying to remember. "No", he eventually answered; "I last remember being with Karin Kurosaki laying on the ground looking up at the sky."

"Oh…" Rangiku looked around and sighed. She then looked back at him; "You are at a spot you like coming when you needed a place to meditate. You would sit on the rock over there in the middle of the pond while the waterfall thundered behind you. Do you remember that?"

"Yes" answered Toshiro; "I remember that now. I do not remember how I got here."

Just then the member of Fourth Squad piped in. "Ok Sir. I need to ask you some basic questions. You sustained a nasty head injury."

"Alright" Toshiro replied. He sighed and waited for the question to come.

"First off, what is your name?" asked the medic.

"Toshiro Histsuguya"

"What is your rank?"

"Captain of Squad Ten."

"Who is your Lieutenant?"

"Rangiku Matsumoto" replied Toshiro; "Are these questions necessary?"

"Come on Captain, we need to make sure you have not suffered any brain damage. Just answer the questions", piped in Rangiku.

A little frustrated Toshiro said; "The only brain damage I suffer is having to do the work which you put off, by the way did you do the paperwork I assigned you?"

Rangiku gave an angry twitch but kept herself collected. She looked at the medic and said; "He's fine."

"Ok" said the medic; "But I want him monitored for the time being just to make sure. HE definitely suffered a concussion and there could be worse injuries. We will not know till he's back at Squad Four's barracks." The medic got up collected her gear and left.

"Look what you did Sir, you could not keep your temper and made it clear that you are fine and don't want any help" snapped Matsumoto.

Toshiro looked at her with a glare but then softened his look. "You are right Matsumoto. I am sorry. I just…I am just confused and frustrated that I cannot remember what happened. Tell me what you know."

Rangiku gave a soft smile. She then whispered to herself; "You've seen so much yet deep down you are still that little boy I picked up all those years ago."

"What" asked Toshiro?

"Oh nothing Sir," Rangiku quickly said; "Anyways from what we know is that Squad 12 felt a rather large spiritual anomaly in this sector. We did not know what it was and it did not match with any known spiritual pressures we have on file. So a few members of Squad 9 were sent out to investigate. Upon arrival they found only faint traces of the pressure remaining."

"I see", said Toshiro; "Then what?"

"Well they continued their search trying to place a direction it could have gone and that's when they spotted you lying face down in the grass. They called in for Fourth Squad saying they had a casualty 'Priority Alpha'. Then they sated who it was and I was notified since I am next in command and I flash stepped over here as fast as I could."

"Ok got it, and what did fourth squad say?" asked Toshiro

"Well as for that they said you sustained a head injury, as you already know, there was evidence of dried blood on your scalp and some on a few meters away. So based on that and the at least bruising on your back it seems that you were thrown against eh tree with enough force to probably knock you unconscious", continued Matsumoto; "Then our guess is whatever attacked you picked you up and tossed you aside. There also appears to be no real sign of a struggle so my guess is an ambush."

"Oh…ok, I understand" Toshiro said. He felt around with his hand and was thankful he still had Hyorinmaru with him.

A few minutes passed of silence. Matsumoto stood up and went to the pond to splash some water on her face. A few minutes later she came back to Toshiro. He said he was ready to try to sitting up. As she was just about to help him stand up, two figures appeared in front of them. They were both dressed as soul reapers. A tall man and an average height woman. The man had Orange hair and the woman had the insignia of being the Lieutenant of Squad 13. "Oh it's Ichigo and Rukia" said Rangiku.

Rukia stayed back but Ichigo came up to Toshiro, lifted him up onto his feat. Rangiku and Rukia protested and Rangiku bent down to help Toshiro steady himself. Ichigo got close to Toshiro's face and then said; "Toshiro. Where is Karin? Where is my SISTER?!"


	5. Chapter 5

Back at the barracks of Squad 4, Toshiro sat on a patient bed with his uniform undone to reveal his torso. He had been adamant that he was feeling perfectly fine, however the medical staff said otherwise. He could still was unable to remember what had happened and no matter how many times Ichigo had asked, he was unable to answer. It was not until Rukia had removed Ichigo this Toshiro finally calm down enough to agree to being thoroughly examined. He was now just awaiting the results. Toshiro gathered up his uniform and started dressing. His arms felt heavy and he felt pain in his ribs. He grimaced and left his arms fall down to his sides. It hurt too much to continue. Rangiku was standing in a corner and watched him struggle, she then walked over and helped him dress himself. Toshiro's face ran a bright red but he still gave her his thanks. While Toshiro was finishing up tying his belt, a member of Squad 4 entered with a clipboard in hand and closely followed by Hinamori and Head Captain Kyoraku.

"Head Captain. Momo", said Toshiro. He tried to stand up but again the pain in his ribs stopped him and he settle back down.

"Don't exert yourself", cried Hinamori as she rushed over to make sure Toshiro was ok. He waved her hand away muttering that he was fine. He asked why she had come along since she undoubtedly had work she must do. "I asked Captain Kyoraku if I could come", she replied.

"Yes I gave her permission to come and check up on you Captain Hitsuguya", said Kyoraku; "Childhood friends are important and they care for one another." Kyoraku walked further into the room and sat down on a chair facing Toshiro. "I understand that you are having trouble remembering what transpired during the ambush that you and Miss Kurosaki were in, and that she is presently missing. Is that correct?"

Toshiro looked down at the ground in dismay, he stayed silent for a moment before finally answering; "Yes Sir. That is correct. I…I take full responsibility for what happened."

"Excellent", said Shinsui standing up, He turned to the member of Squad 4 and said; "You may give the shot now."

"Shot?" asked Tosiro

"Oh right, this should help you remember what happened. When the first report came in that you were suffering from mild amnesia I went to Kurotsuchi and asked if he could make a serum to help with memory loss. Luckily he had some on hand already", replied Captain Kyoraku.

"Lucky you say?" Toshiro eyed the shot wearily; "I have to ask, what the side effects are?"

This time the member of Squad 4 answered; "Oh it has no lasting effects, just that you may remember things you purposely tried to forget about…and while telling us what you remember you may say things that you did not intend to that could be embarrassing."

Toshiro sighed. He lifted his sleeve up exposing his arm. "That is all I have to worry about? Fine then."

The nurse walked over and he inserted the shot into Toshiro's arm. Toshiro winced but let the man continue. As the fluid entered his body Toshiro started to feel pressure in his head and he gripped the side of the bed to keep himself from falling over. He began feeling sick to his stomach, he cursed Kurotsuchi for leaving this aspect out but suddenly he was feeling fine and he had a clearer mind. "Well?" Do you remember anything?" asked Rangiku.

"Yea I do", said Toshiro. He began to tell theme everything that happened. He skipped the fact that he and Karin had kissed and started with them waking up form a nap.

_Toshiro opened his eyes. He felt the sun radiate down on his face, it wasn't uncomfortable, in fact it felt perfect. He turned his head over to his right and saw that Karin had fallen asleep as well. He nudged her and she stirred. "What?" she asked._

_ "__Come on, let's get going", Toshiro replied._

_ "__Fine", said Karin. She sat up and stretched. Toshiro got up and then helped her to her feet. They began walking down the road once more._

_ "__Before we head back I want to show you something" said Toshiro._

_ "__Ok great" said Karin; "What is it that you want to show me?"_

_Toshiro replied; "It's a quiet place I like to go when I'm over stressed or just to meditate."_

_ "__Oh, I would really like to see that", said Karin._

_As they continued to walk they talked about different subjects. Toshiro asked how things were going in the living world and how she was dealing with seeing spirits. Karin in turn asked how his job was going and how soul society was doing with still recovering from the battle with the Quincy. Toshiro admitted that it was slow going and that there was a lot of repairs that still needed to be done, that they were still trying to account for missing soul reapers, and replacing those that they knew had died during the fight. After that they both fell silent. As they drew near a bend they could start to fear the sound of a waterfall. Once they had rounded the bend they stopped. "Well", said Toshiro; "Here it is."_

_ "__Wow!" exclaimed Karin; "I have not seen anything this beautiful in a long time." In front of them was a small opened field with a couple frees dotted around, but it was open space leading up to a pool of water that was clear as glass. Going up stream form the pool was a medium sized waterfall that came thundering down creating a spray of mist that dotted the various rocks at the bottom. In the center of the pool was a rather large rock that was blanked in grass. Toshiro explained that he would jump to that rock and sit there meditating or he would rest against the tree that was right along the bank and cool his feet off in the water. "This is so cool", said Karin. She took off her shoes and socks and ran for the water's edge. She sat down and paced her feet into the cool water. She let out a sigh of relief and Toshiro sat next to her. Karin laid her head against his shoulder whispering that she would love to come there more often…_

_As they sat there Toshiro wrapped his arm around her waist. He took his other hand and placed it under Karin's chin. He lifted her head up and leaned and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him as their lips were sealed together. She leaned backward till she was laying gently on the grass. He placed his body just off to her side as they continued to kiss. Karin broke away just long enough to breath; "don't stop", then they were locked in kissing again. Toshiro let his hand glide down her side till it rested on her hip. He then slid it upwards underneath her blouse. He hesitated not sure if he should continue for he really did not know what to do. Karin noticed his hesitation and gently grabbed his wrist and slid it upwards letting him know that he could continue. She then let go and went back to holding him. Toshrio now finding his confidence slid his hand up until it was resting on her bra. He started to gently squeeze and rub her breast through her bra before he eventually slid his hand underneath. He found that his hand fit perfectly around her and that she was smooth and soft, he continued to gently rub her breast and focused his index finger on rubbing around and caressing her areola. He felt her start to get hard and she smiled. As he continued Karin gently let out a moan. Toshiro took this as a cue and switched form kissing her lips to moving down to her neck. Karin breathed in excitement and passion as this was the first time she had been touched this way. Occasionally a moan would escape her lips where she would softly say; "Toshiro"._

_"__Do you want me to stop?" Toshiro asked. As he took a breath and went back to kissing her neck._

_"__No." She said, "I want you to continue."_

_"__Alright I will" said Toshiro…_

Toshiro stopped talking. He was back in the infirmary room with the other soul reapers. They were looking at him puzzled. Toshiro looked around at all of them a little confused, and then he blushed for he realized what had been running through his mind.

"Uh, Captain?" asked Rangiku, "Are you going to continue? You trailed off into silence after you and Karin sat down with your feet in the water."

"What?! I did?" Toshiro breathed a sigh of relief now that he knew that the all of the last few memories were just in his head and he had not spoken a loud what had happened between him and Karin. "I'm sorry", he said.

"It is alright", said Kyoraku. "Continue if you will."

Toshiro took a breath and then continued. "We were sitting there and then after a moment a shadowed loomed over us." _In his mind he pictured him next to Karin still kissing her when the shadow came over them. _"Karin opened her eyes and said my name in a panic, but before I could react I was lifted up and thrown across the field. I got up and drew my sword but there was no one in sigh. I looked over to where Karin and I had been but she was gone. I saw a blur of movement off to my left so I turned but I got hit from behind. I realized then that there were at least two enemy nearby. I dodged another attack form what was now my right but in doing so I lost my footing on a wet patch of grass. I was then lifted up again and thrown against the tree you found me under." Toshiro looked down at his hands and then back up, where he said; "The last thing I saw before my vison went black was two blurry figures running off and Karin's limp body slung over on of their shoulders."

Kyoraku stood up. "Is that all?" he asked.

"Yes" replied Toshiro.

"All right", said Kyoraku. He turned to the door. "Hey did you catch all of that?"

"Yes. Yes I did" said a voice. Then from around the frame entered Isshin.

Toshiro and Rangiku both stood up in shock and exclaimed; "Isshin?!"

Isshin looked at his former subordinates and smiled. "Long time no see you two. Let's go get my daughter."


	6. Chapter 6

Karin awoke to find herself in pitch blackness. The air around her felt damp and cool. She tried to move her legs and arms only to find that they were immobile. Her arms were tied together above her head and secured to something she could not see, her legs however were encased by something hard. She struggled for a couple more minutes before succumbing to the realization that she was not going to be able to free herself. She hung her head and became painfully aware of the pain in her shoulders and the dull throbbing emanating from the back of her head. She closed her eyes attempting to remember what had happened. The mental images came in a blur and it was hard for her to focus through the pain she was experiencing. She remembered the waterfall, Toshiro sitting next to her, the softness of his lips against hers, his hand moving under her blouse while the other slid up her legs. She remembered the heat of the moment as he laid her down, then the shadow appeared. Karin tried to concentrate on the shadow but it had moved in a blur of motion and thrown Toshiro off her. The last thing she could remember before her vision went black was getting grabbed and held upwards seeing Toshiro crumpled on the ground with blood oozing from a head wound. Then there was a thump and she woke up in this state.

"If on I could get myself loose", Karin thought to herself, "Also, what the fuck is binding my legs? And where the hell am I? I think this is a cave based on how the air feels."

Karin struggled once more attempting to free herself. She let out a grunt as she struggled and upon failing once again she gave a long sigh of frustration. She contemplated calling out to see if someone was there, but thought better of it for it may be better for now if whoever had taken her thought she was still unconscious. As he hung there the pain in her shoulders grew and she did her best to flex and relax her muscles as best she could to bring any amount of relief. With no light she was unaware how much time had passed since she had awoken. It could have been mere minutes or hours. No one came for her and she heard nothing except for a steady drip of water coming from somewhere. She groaned as the muscle spasms began and she became aware of the rumbling in her stomach.

"God, when are these people going to come?" she said out loud to herself. "I hope they bring food it's been so long…I think." Karin was starting to think that no one would ever come and she would just wilt away stuck in her dark damp prison, which pissed her off more than it made her upset, when she finally herd voices coming from somewhere ahead of her.

"I don't see why we must bring it food," came a raspy voice, "unless….it's to fatten it up."

"I told you before, the boss wants this one ALIVE and presentable"; said a second deeper voice.

The first voice retorted; "I say we just kill the bitch and eat her. Did you not feel the energy she gives off? Oh, how good she must taste, I have not had something like since before I returned to Hueco Mundo. It was a young soul reaper, a promising third seat. Oh she was delicious."

"If you lay one finger on this one I will eat you and absorb your powers"; snapped the second voice.

"If you do then you may be in luck to acquire my taste." smirked the first, not taking the threat by his companion as anything serious. "As I said, women are delicious entrees. Nature's fruit if you will for us. Their fear of the shadows, the way they check behind them. It makes the hunt extravagant. Then, hehe, then when you capture them…Oh-how they scream! Especially with me having these tentacles, how they slither over their soft body before wrapping them around their neck to choke the life out of them. It's something I crave. Please, please just let me have some fun."

"No, we need her in good condition. The boss what's to use her to take control of Hueco Mundo and end this truce with the Soul Reapers. Having this restriction of who we can eat is a pain in the ass.

Karin finally saw a light bloom in the darkness, it grew brighter till she saw it fully as it rounded a corner. On either side of it was two hollows. One was easily seven feet, brown with a mask that looked like a human skull. It had two arms, two legs, and claws that were a foot long and razor sharp. The other was grey and had arms but also tentacles protruding from it at odd angles. When Karin saw this hollow she felt an uneasiness in her gut that caused her to squirm. Her fidgeting caused the two hollows to notice her.

"Oh? You're awake. Good. That will make this much simpler." Said the brown hollow. He moved forward to bring the light closer so that he and Karin could see face to face. The light shined across her revealing a streak of dried blood running down her cheek from where they had hit her on the head. Her lip had been busted too from the fall she suffered immediately afterwards and there was some dried blood around her nose. She had some bruises on her arms from the journey and her blouse had been torn in a couple places. "Hello," said the hollow, "How about you tell me what powers you have since you give off so much spiritual energy."

Karin looked at this hollow in the eyes, she was not afraid of him since he was not as sick as the other. "You two are the ugliest fuckers I've ever laid eyes on", she responded.

The hollow stood up and roared with laughter. "We got a fighter here. How about you cut the act and just tell me, hmm?"

"Fuck off", was all that Karin said. The hollow raised his hand debating whether to strike her or not, but took a breath and lowered it. There was a pause before Karin spoke. "I heard you say I was supposed to be presentable, I taste blood in my mouth and can tell my clothes are ripped. I think your boss will be very upset."

The hollow in the back smiled; "You are…that is to say that by presentable you can't be unconscious or too badly injured. Your injuries are the result of…how do you say it? Oh yes right, unfortunate circumstance. However, if you do not answer our questions, I will have to get a little rough and hurt you in less noticeable areas." He started laughing and gave his extremities a shake.

Karin's eyes grew in fear and she forced herself to stifle a squeak. "He is the worst of the worst", she thought to herself, "Toshiro…where are you? Please find me." As she thought this she pictured him back at the pond fighting a hollow and having another come up and throw him against a tree where he crumpled. A tear welled up in her left eye and slowly streamed down her cheek where another from her right followed almost instantly afterwards until they were falling form both.


	7. Chapter 7

Toshiro ran through the forest as trees blurred by and the wind ripped through his hair. All he could hear was the steady sound of his feet as they touched the ground just long enough to perform a shunpo. He had tirelessly spent the last couple days searching around the Rukongai in a radius with the point of his attack in the center. His fellow soul reapers along with Isshin and Ichigo had helped as they searched for any sign of Karen or the hollows that attacked him. However, now as he tore through the forest he had a direction to go in. He could not explain how he knew, he could not explain when he knew, but now he did. At first, he like the rest had been lost, Toshiro had gone to Squad 12 and asked then eventually begged Capitan Kurotsuchi to give him a device that could find Karen's spiritual pressure or that of the hollows and lead them to where she was located. However, Kurotsuchi declined stating that it was impossible for the residual spiritual presser was not enough to track and that even if he had had such a device he would not lend it for this matter did not interest him.

Toshiro had thus left Squad 12 feeling defeated and lost, with a sickening feeling in his chest that h would never be able to find Karin again. It had been a few days since the attack and the prospect of seeing Karin alive was starting to grow thin. Feeling lost Toshiro wandered out into the Rukongai with nowhere in particular just hoping to find some sort of clue. He eventually found himself once again back at the pond where the attack had happened. He had been there several times using it as a starting point to his search, yet this time Toshiro did not leave in a direction working off of guesses. Instead he stayed there and looked around, he did not know what he was looking for but he just started to feel that his answer was there. "Come on", he said allowed, "What am I missing?" He walked over to where he and she had laid before, he walked over to the tree that he had hit. Finding nothing he sat down and drank from the pond. The water was cool and refreshing as hit touched his lips and flowed down his throat as he drank. He cupped both hands and slipped them under the surface before splashing himself in the face. He sat there looking at the small waterfall and the rock in the middle that he liked to meditate on. "Fuck it, might as well try", he thought to himself. Toshiro stood up and easily jumped over to the rock. He sat down and assumed the position he took while meditating, he closed his eyes and began to slowly breathe, in hailing and then slowly exhaling. He felt himself starting to relax, his shoulders lowered, his head straight, he waited…not for anything in particular, but something. He let the noises of the outdoors swirl around him, the stead thunder of the waterfall, the wind through the trees. Then it came to him, a feeling deep in his chest, not one that one feels when in love but something different, a feeling that he had only felt once before a few years back when he had gone to visit his grandmother in the land of the living and Karin had tagged along. Toshiro stood up from is meditation and looked off in the direction that he now knew would lead him to where Karin was located. He leapt back to land and was about to start off running but he stopped realizing he needed to inform the others. Toshiro felt that he could not head back to the Seireitei and still have time to get to Karin. He was starting to wonder what to do when a Hell Butterfly happed to fly up to him. It contained a message from Matsumoto; "Sir, we have expanded out search another five kilometers and have turned up no results. There was some grumblings about the possible futility of this search but I quickly set those straight. I will say, please do not over work yourself."

Toshiro contemplated her words and knew that she was right, but there was no need for that now since he knew how to find Karin. He turned his attention to the Hell Butterfly and said; "Matsumoto…thank you for the report but it is not needed. I know where she is located, or rather the direction. Please relay this to the others searching especially Ichigo Kurosaki and Isshin, have them and yourself meet me in the one hundred and twenty-third section of the seventy-fourth district of North Rukongai. That is all….oh and be prepared for anything." With the message complete the butterfly flew off to deliver the message. Toshiro watched it go for a minute then set off on his way.

Toshiro finished thinking back on what had recently happed as he continued to sprint through the trees reaching for his goal. He had been running for almost an hour but he knew he was getting close, only because the feeling in his chest was getting tighter. It felt like something was tied to him and pulling him in this direction. Not like the chain that could be found of spirits who were tied to a place or person even after they had passed. This was something different, that he could not explain, but he let it guide him for he realized that he did not have many options otherwise. As he came to the summit of a hill that he had been climbing he found himself in a clearing as the forest gave way around him and he could see out into a valley. This valley was unknown to him for he had never ventured out this far either when before he was a Soul Reaper or during his time when he was sent out on patrols. As he stood there, rustling came from behind him and he was quick to turn and draw his weapon. "Whoa, Capitan it's just us, we're hear", said Matsumoto as she emerged from the forest. Accompanying her were a few normal Soul Reapers, Ichigo, and Isshin.

"Alright Toshiro," started Ichigo; "How do you know where my sister is? Explain!"

"Calm down Ichigo." Said Isshin; "Toshiro, please enlighten us."

Toshiro looked at them; "I can't…or rather…I do not know how. I just feel that she is here in this area. Something drew me here."

Ichigo took a deep breath and let out a sigh. "I had a feeling you would say that" he said; "It is fate. You and Karin are tied together, it was the same when everyone had forgotten about Rukia that one time. I happened to be the only one who still remembered her."

Isshin stepped forward closely followed by Matsumoto. "Alright, if that is the case then my daughter is somewhere here. That means we split up and search for her."

"And when we do, my guess is there will be enemies so a fight in probably unavoidable, but this area is small enough we should all be able to sense and home in on one another's release of spiritual pressure", added Matsumoto.

"Right!" said Ichigo, "Let's do this!" He jumped forward and went to start his search with Matsumoto and the other Soul Reapers following on tow.

Toshiro was about to follow but Isshin placed his hand on his shoulder. "I know I've been gone a very long time, over one hundred years and there are a lot of questions that I need to answer", he said. Isshin looked down at Toshiro before continuing; "You've grown into a fine captain, but I know what you are thinking. You let Ichigo and myself know about this out of respect and the fact that Karin is out family, but I see it in your eyes, you want to do this battle alone. Whether it's to atone for getting ambushed, to regain your pride or honor, or to simply get revenge, I will not stop you. I was like that too once, to do anything to get back a person that means a lot to you. If you want to fight them alone that is fine, but listen to the words of your former leader and mentor…do not let your feelings consume you, it will weaken you and could put my daughter in an even more dangerous position and I will not allow that to happen."

Toshiro took a step forward drawing his zanpakuto; "You have nothing to worry about, I will never allow Karin to be placed in a position more dangerous than she already is in, and I will never allow something like this to happen again. I am in control of myself, I promise…sir" With that being said, Toshiro leapt forward down the hill and ran off to where he felt Karin could be located.

"Alight" said Isshin; "Go kick their ass and bring my daughter back." Isshin stretched and cracked his neck. "How long are you going to stay hidden Kyoraku?"

"Huh? You knew I was there?" Head Captain Kyoraku emerged from the brush and tilted his head in greeting. "I thought I had hidden my Spiritual Pressure rather well."

"You did" replied Isshin; "But even the best still give off a small amount."

"So you are not going to join them?" asked Kyoraku

"No, she is my daughter so I am worried." Answered Isshin; "But this battle to come is something Captain Hitsugaya needs to do by himself so he can take another step forward as a Soul Reaper."


	8. Chapter 8

Karin opened her eyes and let out a sigh, being in absolute darkness had really caused her to not know how much time had passed. All she knew was that her shoulders were starting to ache from the position she had been left in since she first woke up in this cave. Her only source of telling any sort of time was the couple instances when her captors brought her food, but that did not mean much, plus the act of feeding her was disturbing. It came with the drivel of each hollow bickering as to why they could not simply eat her. During her feeding she had to deal with the one sliding his feelers over her, making wet sounds with his mouth asking for just a little fun. She could still feel the slender, smooth, slimy, touch of him as he slithered over her arms and legs, slowly wrapping them around her inching up her thighs or when he wrapped them around her torso and slightly squeezed causing a whimper to come out of her, while doing so taking a second one and sliding it up her blouse, stopping just short of her breasts only due to that this disgusting monster was hit by the other and told to "Knock it off". A shiver came over her as the thought crossed her mind. "Toshiro, please hurry. I got to make these bastards pay", she said into the darkness.

"Hehehe" came a voice out of the darkness. "Pay? You'll make us pay?" A light came into existence and the leader of the two hollows loomed out of the shadows. "Don't make me laugh, I would love to see the day when a mere human could take on us."

Karin squinted till she got adjusted to the light. Then she narrowed her eyes; "It just so happens there is a human who can, in fact there are many." Karin kept glaring at her captor, but then realized that he was alone. "Wh…where is the other one?"

"Oh him? Not that it matters to you, but he is out hunting. We need to eat after all. Anyways…" The hollow left his sentence hanging in the air, as he stood up. He crossed over to Karin who despite her best efforts, instinctively tried to make herself smaller. The hollow grabbed her arms in his gigantic hand and wrenched her free from her bond. The force of the movement shook her aching muscles and bones that she was surprised her wrists didn't shatter, she also felt her legs come freed from their restraints. Yet, just as quickly as she was freed, her arms were bound again by the same sticky substance but this time behind her back. "Get a move on", came the hollow. He shoved her forward causing her to fall down hard onto the ground.

"Where are we going?" she said, tasting blood in her moth from biting her lip.

"It doesn't matter where" said the hollow. He grabbed her and lifter her up to her feet and shoved her again. This time Karin did not fall and she weekly stumbled forward following the barely visible path illuminated by the light the hollow was caring. Karin eventually stumbled into an opening that had a path that lead to the mouth of the cave. There wasn't much, just some dried grass that she guessed the hollows had slept on. However, when she turned her head what she say made her skin crawl. To the other side of her, on the way to the opening of the cave was a pile of bones. Skulls, ribs, femurs, pelvises, they were all there. At least enough for to create ten different beings. Next to it was the second hollow, who was deeply engrossed in eating. His extremities flayed as he worked the corpse of his prey. The crunch of bone as he bit down, the spray of blood that spattered on the wall. Karin saw one tentacle move upwards causing the edge of a bone to appear, a femur, which was tossed aside into the pile sliding down to where it settled.

The sound of them approaching interrupted the hollow and he turned to face them. His face mask was covered with splatters of blood. Blood dripped from the corners of its mouth falling down onto the floor, yet there were some splotches on his chest. Due to the angle at which Karin saw this scene, she could not have seen the corpse at first, but when the hollow moved she now could. Her eyes went wide with fear, shock, and disgust, laying on the ground was the now partial remains of a body. Karin had seen bodies before, having a father who ran a clinic resulted in the occasional deceased person being placed there awaiting for a proper vehicle to take it to a morgue. This corpse, missing everything from the waist down, had spewed blood across the ground, its entrails hanging out. The torso was scratched, which was odd for someone with tentacles for limbs, the arms fractured with the bone piercing the skin of the left. But it was the face, its expression stalled in time of the moment of death. The eyes bulged in fear, the moth open as if still emitting a scream that was now inaudible. It was that of a young female, Karin knew that age differed here compared to back home, but this girl looked no older than she could have been. This was someone's daughter, a sister, and they wouldn't know what happened. Karin bent over double and started vomiting profusely onto the ground. She couched and gaged as the bile came out of her mouth. When she was done her knees felt week, her whole body shaking and covered in sweat. "Oh God" she whispered.

"You're such an animal" growled the hollow behind her, "I've told you no to eat like that."

"But it's so much better this way. The freshness, the juiciness, It sends pleasure all throughout me. The taste of the freshly dead, caught while running, the panic that they have as I swoop after them makes the meat delightful." The hollow looked up seeing Karin bent over recovering from her vomit attack. He stood up and waddled a little closer. "Can I have her? Please? Please? I've been patient, come on, just a piece, a leg, a hand. Please?

"Dammit I said no!" snarled the first hollow. "Besides, we're leaving to go to the boss." The hollow gripped Karin by the shoulder and pulled her upright. "Come on, move it" He pushed her and she weakly walked past the other hollow, past the corpse and towards the mouth of the cave. "Hey you, go check the outside first."

The second hollow made some disgruntled noises but hurried past them out into the bright light. Not too soon Karin and the first hollow stepped out into the light. Their eyes adjusted and standing right in front of them was a figure. The first thing Karin noticed was the white hair. "To…" *shink* the sound split the air and Karin felt a wetness on her neck and dripping down her side. She felt light headed as she saw her clothes turn red in places. "…shiro" Karin hit the ground causing dust to spring up into the air. The pain in her neck finally registered as she realized what had just happened. The hollow had slit her neck open. She thought to herself; "But why? We were going to their boss, they weren't supposed to lay a finger on me." As her vision slowly faded she saw more figures emerge from the brush and trees. They were all in black. "Oh…that's why."

Faintly, ever so faintly she heard Toshiro scream; "Karin! No!"


	9. Chapter 9

"Karin! No!" Toshiro screamed as he watched her body fall to the ground with blood spewing from her next. His body frozen in shock he could not tear his eyes away from her, until her heard the hollow laugh.

"Ahahaha" laughed the hollow; "This was not supposed to happen, but then neither were you to come here. I had no choice. Now I to simply defeat you and the rest of your Soul Reaper scum." The hollow stepped over Karin's body and assumed his fighting position. "You cannot possibly hope to defeat me."

Toshiro looked down at Karin's body once more as blood pooled around her. It was clear that her carotid artery had been cut. "Matsumoto…no everyone…get back. That is an order"; he said quietly.

"But…but sir-"started one of the lower ranked Soul Reapers, but Matsumoto held up her arm. The Soul Reaper nodded and along with everybody else he stepped backwards several feet.

Toshiro glanced over at his Lieutenant and nodded in thanks. He turned back to his advisory and stepped forward. "Alright you son of a bitch, I'm going to fucking end you!" Toshiro placed his hand on his hilt anticipating what the move of the hollow would be. Suddenly he shot forward at blazing speed using Shunpo.

"Hyaa" He brought down his zanpakto with a heavy clang.

_Cling_ The hollow blocked it.

"Hahaha"; said the hollow, you cannot hope to cut through me. You are too weak.

"Raah"; Toshiro came back with another slash from the side.

_Cling_

_Clang_

_Din_

Their battle raged on, a too and throw. Bouncing around the area each bringing down strikes that sent shockwaves out from the impact.

"Syaa" cried Toshiro as he released an attack form the right.

The hollow countered and brought a swipe down from above.

Toshiro tried to move.

"Aaaah"; Toshiro yelled.

He jumped back several feet. Coming to a stop.

His head hurt.

Toshrio wiped his brow, as his hand came away he saw that it was streaked with blood.

The hollow leaped forward continuing his attack.

Toshiro stepped to the left. But not before he heard the slight rasp of fabric ripping.

A searing pain pierced his side and Toshrio staggered trying to keep his balance.

He clutched his side and say blood beginning to seep into the white of his uniform.

Just then an impact hit him in the chest and he was sent sprawling to the ground several feet away.

His chest felt heavy.

In a daze, Toshiro tasted the metallic that was part of blood. His vision grew cloudy as blood flowed into his eyes.

He gingerly got to his feet using his katana for balance. He was bruised, cut, and ached all over.

"Captain!" came a shout.

"Do not interfere!" he immediately commanded.

Toshiro looked up to the hollow slowly advancing on him. "I told you that victory was impossible for you. You will die here but not before that little one over there does first. Then the others will die."

Toshrio spat blood from his mouth, he watched the red fluid splat onto the ground quickly mixing with the dirt. "I may die." He said; "But not before I kill you."

The hollow chuckled as he drew closer.

"Bankai!" Cried Toshiro; "Daiguren Hyōrinmaru"

The air around the battle suddenly felt cold. Every soul reaper felt a shiver run through them as their breath became visible. Some stepped back as the force of his Spiritual Pressure slammed into them.

Toshiro stood up straight, wings and a tail of ice seeming to flow from his body.

"Hyōryū Senbi" Toshiro called leaping forward.

Ice flowed from his blade as he swung it in the direction of the hollow.

The hollow leaped into the air, landed and attacked,

Toshiro wrapped his wings around him as a shield.

The hollow landed a hit.

Toshrio flew backward but regained his composure.

He shot up into the air and dove.

"Aaah!" he cried as he brought down his sword.

The hollow blocked. But his thick skin finally broke and a gush of blood shout out.

The ground around them shattered and created a crater.

Toshiro rose once more into the air. "This is it you, bastard" he called down to the hollow.

The hollow looked up from where it was standing. Cradling his arm that was now severed.

"Hyōten Hyakkasō"; the sky grew darker but then an opening appeared and snow started to fall through. As it fell towards the earth Toshiro looked down at the hollow. Snow touched the follow and started to freeze into flowers made from ice. "Everything this snow touches gets frozen, once the last of the flakes falls, your life will be over."

The hollow looked around, desperately trying to move its body from where it was frozen in place. "What?" it cried; "This is impossible, there is no way a Soul Reaper could~"

It never finished its sentence, the last of the snow fell and the hollow was encased in a column of ice. Toshiro fluttered back to earth, as he touched down the column shattered into pieces. Nothing remained of the hollow.

Toshiro took a breath realizing how long the fight had taken, at least twenty minutes. "Karin!" He shouted and ran over to her body. He fell to the ground beside her and picked her up, cradling her head against his chest. "Karin! Karin! Stay with me come one."

"To…shiro?" Karin rasped.

"No do not speak." He quietly said to her. He looked over the Soul Reapers around him. "Come one! Someone come over!"

Matsumoto and one Soul Reaper with the insignia of squad four came raced over. They squatted next to Karin. Matsumoto immediately started administering the little healing Kido she knew as the member of Squad four checked Karin over. He placed a rag against her neck and removed her hand from the wound, in the space between, blood spurted out. "Her artery is intact, and not cut, but her blood loss is heavy."

"Do something dammit!" Toshiro commanded.

"Sir, we need to get her moving, there is nothing I can do for her at this location. Plus you yourself need to see immediate attention as well."

Toshiro looked at him not knowing what to do. He looked at Kari; "Karin, hey Karin, everything is going to be alright. I promise."

Karin slowly opened her eyes, she felt slow, lethargic, and tired. "I….I…Shiro…I feel tired."

"It is ok, Karin, just stay awake alright." Tears were welling up in Toshiro's eyes. "Just…just stay with me. Ok? We'll get you help, we have help coming."

The member of squad four had pulled out a collapsible stretcher; "Ok Sir, keep your hand on cloth. Ok, One. Two." He along with Matsumoto placed Karin on the stretch. Two more members grabbed either end, they pulled the stretcher into the air and the group raced off towards the barracks.

After racing through the forest for some time, Karin spoke, barely over a whisper; "To…shi…ro"

Toshrio looked down at her, has he ran beside her; "What is it? We're almost there."

"To…shi…ro"; breathed Karin again.

The medic this time looked down. "Whoa. Whoa let's set her down."

"What do you mean set her down?!" said Toshrio, we got to get going. But the medic only gave him a look.

"I am sorry Sir,"

Toshiro knew what he meant. "Ok…ok set her down easy." The two squad members did as they were told and took several steps back. "Karin? Karin I'm here." Toshiro reached out and placed her hand in his.

Karin opened her eyes; "…shiro, I…I saw my mother."

"Yea? That is…good…that is good to hear, Karin" Toshiro blinked trying to keep his tears at bay. He did not want to frighten her. "We are almost back Karin, we…we will get you better."

"She was smiling, I…I think I will be able to see her again." Karin breathed.

"Come one Karin, she has always been with you, you have always been able to see her." Toshiro said, this time with the tears falling down his check. He raised her hand and gave it a kiss. "Everything will be ok"

"Why…why are you crying?" Karin asked.

"It is nothing, do not worry about me Karin." He knew that she would, he had not yet received treatment for his own wounds, and they were causing him so much pain. He did create a quick turner kit for his side, but he knew that sooner or later he would be in trouble.

"You…know…you…know crying does not suit you? Can we play football soon?"

"What? Uh…yea, yes we can Karin, but focus on getting better."

"Yea…you…you are…right. I am…I am so tired." Said Karin, "Maybe…I…should get…some…sleep."

"Karin, you can rest later, you got…" Toshiro squeezed his eyes shut; "You have to stay with us." Toshrio gently lifter her head and held her close. "You have to stay awake."

"Yea…you…are…right." Karin closed her eyes; "I will try." Karin took a breath before ceasing to breath.

Toshiro felt her head settle against his chest. "Raaaaaaaaaaah" he cried, holding her close. "Raaaah". The tears flowed down his cheeks, cutting through the dust, dirt, and blood that had settled and dried. He held her close as he wept into her hair. "Karin…Karin…no...please."

Two arms wrapped themselves around him and he felt the pressure of Matsumoto enclose around him from behind. Then she whispered in his ear; "I am so sorry Sir, but we have to get moving." She pulled him away as he continued to cry.

The medic carefully placed Karin back squarely onto the stretcher, he pulled out a sheet and placed it over her, covering her head. The two other members returned and picked her up, they began once more back to the barracks but this time at a slower pace.

It was not long before they reached the gates and passed through. Once inside a crowd awaited them, other members of thirteen squads and those that returned form searching for Karin unsuccessfully, the Head Captain, Shinsui Kyoraku, Rukia, and also Ichigo and Isshin. As their silent procession walked past, they all noticed the extent of what had transpired. Rukia and Momo covered their mouths in shock. Byakuya, Kyoraku, and others bowed their heads. It was Ichigo who first spoke.

"Karin?" He cried as he rushed over to the stretcher. The two Soul Reapers laid down the stretcher and stepped away. Ichigo knelt down beside and pulled back the sheet revealing Karin's face. "A…a…aaaah" he cried, leaning back. "N…no..NO!" he cried, has he stayed knelt by her body. Rukai ran over began consoling her.

Toshrio just limped past, noting that the wound in his side had begun to bleed again. He walked into the nearest building and slumped against the wall. The pain, blood loss, and fatigue from fighting such a challenging foe was starting to catch up to him, along with the emotion of losing Karin. A member of Squad four came up and started to treat him, but Toshiro pushed her away. "Do..don…just…just stop the bleeding then get away." The medic quick work to stop the bleeding and tried to continue, but Toshiro pushed her away. "Go. Just go." She nodded and left. Toshiro was left alone, he felt tears welling up again and he did not try to stop them this time. He sat there and cried, letting everything that happened wash over him.

"Is this how I left squad ten to be handled?" Came a voice from the opening to the building. "Someone who sulks?"

Toshiro looked up, wiped his eyes, "How…how can you stand there looking at me? I was not fast enough and Karin…Karin…" Toshiro lost control of the third wave of tears that came out, all he could feel was them flowing, taste the salt form them in his mouth. He took a ragged breath; "Karin is dead because of me. So how…how can you stand there looking at me like that Captain Shiba? HOW!?" Toshiro slumped back letting his head bang against the wall.

"Yea…you are right." Said Isshin stepping further into the hallway of the building. "Karin is dead because you were not fast enough. Karin is dead because you took her outside of the walls and could not protect her." Isshin was now standing right in front of Toshiro, looking down at him. He then knelt in front of him; "That is what I would like to say."

Toshrio brought his head forward; "Excuse me?"

Isshin sighed, "Right now my son is crying over the body of his sister, but I am in here, why? Because you were also like a son to me back in the day. I need to make sure you are alright, you are injured and need help, but more importantly I need to know that you are not going to do something stupid."

"How…how can you be so calm right now?" asked Toshiro.

"You may be a prodigy when it comes to being a Soul Reaper, but you are still young. I am not calm, but I have learned how to control my feelings when I need to. I am a father who just…who just lost a daughter physically, a husband who lost a wife, an uncle who lost a nephew, and a Soul Reaper who lost subordinates and companions. You never get over it, no matter how many times you deal with death, but you do learn. When Masaki died, I was distraught, it was my girls that helped out a lot." Having said that, Isshin placed his hand on Toshiro's shoulder and gave it squeeze, he stood up and headed for the door and left.

Toshiro watched him leave, before another voice sounded from the other side of the hallway. "There is another reason why Isshin is calm."

"What?" said Toshiro quickly turning to see who had spoken, sitting on a bench a little ways down was Urahara.

Urahara looked up to the ceiling, pushing his hat back just a little. "He gave you a clue" he said; "Karin died _physically_. She came here in her physical body, if she had come as a spirit it would be a different story, but in this case, somewhere out there in the Rukongai, she will be waking up soon." Urahara stood up and walked away saying over his shoulder; "I suggest you get yourself healed and cleaned up first. There are three hundred and twenty districts to search."

Once he was gone, it took a little for Toshiro to realize what he had heard. Karin was somewhere and he could find her. He stood up with new resolve; "Karin, please wait, I am sorry, I will not fail this time. I will find you and bring you home safely." Toshiro slowly moved towards the doorway and stepped out into the light.

The End


	10. Epilogue

_It's been two years, two years since I woke up here, two years since I woke up not knowing where I was, or how I got here, only knowing my name. That was it. I was confused, and then scared, wandering around emptiness until he came. He saved me and brought me home. He took care of me and taught me of everything I needed to know about where I was, the Rukongai, The Seireitei, everything. Except, for that dream…_ Karin looked up at the sky, she remembered the dream perfectly, and how could she forget about it, it had visited her many times since she had woken up. In her dream she was standing in a hallway, then suddenly she was on a field playing some sort of game with people that knew her but she didn't know them. She found that in this dream, in this odd game, she was actually rather skilled. Karin had asked HIM about it before but he said it there was nothing of it here in the Rukongai and it's just her imagination running wild which she slept…but that wasn't the bit that bothered her the most. It was the last part of her dream, chasing after a white haired boy who she knew…but didn't know. She had no memory of him but in her dream she knew his name. "To…shi…ro", Karin said the name a loud, it meant nothing to her in this moment…but in her dream she felt it meant the world.

"Karin!" The voice rang across the yard. "Karin! There you are! Where have you been?"

"Ah! Hiro, good morning. I…I was just sitting here looking out at the grass."

"Oh? Is that so? I noticed you were in your room when I woke up. Did you not sleep well?" asked Hiro. He finished walking up to where Karin sat and seated himself next to her. "You know, you look ever so beautiful in the morning light, and your jinbei." Hiro leaned over placing his hand on Karin's hip that was farthest from him. He leaned in real close brushing his lips against her cheek, before dropping them down to her neck. He kissed her slowly as he slid his hand inside her jinbei slowly pushing his hand away from him so that it would be untied.

Karin crinkled her neck at the touch, being ticklish she knew that her neck was a weakness. She closed her eyes to the light of the morning sun. "Hiro?" she said questionably.

"What is it?" replied Hiro.

"Last night…I had that dream again, you remember the one." Said Karin.

"Yea what about it?" asked Hiro in between kissing her neck. His hand not getting the jinbei more open was making its way very slowly up her waist and side.

"Do you know anything about a person known Toshiro?"

Hiro stopped kissing Karin's neck and pulled his hand out of her garb. His face grew hard as he looked Karin in the eyes. "What did I tell you about these dreams? They are just that!" He said quickly. Hiro got up and strolled around for a bit, before sitting back down next to her. "Karin, dear, I know you still have a lot of questions, but these dreams…they are just dreams. I do not know anything about a 'Toshiro' or who that is. Now come and go get ready. We have some training to do today."

"Yea…yea you are right, sorry Hiro. I will go get ready" acknowledged Karin.

As she made to get up, Hiro gently pulled grabbed her hand. "Ah, but first, give me a kiss." Karin smiled and leaned in, as their lips touched and pressed against each other, Hiro opened his eyes, he saw that Karin's were closed, he then glanced off to the side because he now knew that his plans had encountered a set-back.

**To be continued.**


End file.
